Seez Mics - "With SFR" Turntable Slipmat

Seez Mics is back, and he's WITH SFR!

Of course, you already knew that - but it's also the title of his new LP!

'With SFR' features a different member of the Strange Famous crew on every song - check the track listing below to see the star-studded roster!
Musical accompaniment was provided by the talented SpeaksBeats, with cover art by the always on-time Pat Jensen.

The 11-song collection is available to download at StrangeFamous.com and at the SFR Bandcamp.
7-Inch Records and Cassettes are also available to pre-order here.
'With SFR' Is also available to stream on Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon, and wherever you listen to music.

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Orders for this product page will receive:

1x Seez Mics "With SFR" limited edition turntable SLIPMAT!
- features the full color cover artwork by Pat Jensen!
- non-slip underside 
1x Seez Mics "With SFR" 320kbps MP3 Download upon request
- if you'd like to receive a digital download, please email stormdavis at gmail dot com with your order number + they will respond with a Dropbox link or Bandcamp code within 48 hours.
- includes the full 11-song album!
- MP3s must be downloaded on a computer, not a mobile device
1x Seez Mics -or- SFR Sticker (chosen by SFR staff based on availability)
1x selection of 'WTF SFR?!' random extras & additional nonsense

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TRACKLISTING

All vocals by Seez Mics (except where noted in tracklisting)
All music by SpeaksBeats
Mixed & mastered by SpeaksBeats
Additional post-production assistance by Alxndrbrwn
Artwork by Pat Jensen

Words from Seez about the making of "With SFR": 

"With SFR" is the second installment in a serial, connected conceptually by a common theme among the artists I choose to collaborate with.



The first "With" featured production by fellow Marylander Scott Kuzner and 14 MCs who are based in or regularly pass through my stomping ground, the DMV (AKA Washington DC/Maryland/Virginia, USA). 

Born from the necessity of acclimating to the limited free time brought on by marriage and children with the desire to still maintain a creative outlet, I thoroughly enjoyed the process and product. Featuring art by Lauren Gere of The Hive Stitchery and released in February of 2017, you can check it out on Bandcamp as well. 


Shortly after "With" was released, my longtime aspiration of being signed to Strange Famous Records came true. Under the umbrella of SFdigi, Sage Francis was bolstering SFR with a roster of indie rap MCs and producers who had achieved undeniable artistic success if not commercial success. Sage asked if I was interested in joining the SFdigi roster, and while there as never a second of doubt that I would say yes, I was further encouraged when I got a sneak peak at who I’d be joining: artists like Mopes and Cas One who I already knew, as well as artists like Early Adopted and Lee Reed who I’d long admired but never met.

As for Sage, there's plenty of my public fawning over him available in my social media posts and episodes of the Chrome Bills podcast. I'll spare you from it here, but just know that I have the utmost respect for Sage and the SFR operations manager Storm Davis in every aspect of running an independent rap label.

In my years as an artist, let alone as a human, I struggle with the paradox of the uneasiness that comes with never neatly fitting in a single box and the unrelenting desire not to. Sure, my life would have probably been easier if I were simply just "24/7/365 Sports Guy" or "Artsy Fartsy Elitist" or some other role I've dabbled in but never fully committed to. I have made very few friends that share my admittedly self-imposed burden, and unfortunately two of them passed well before their time: Eyedea and Cubbiebear.

Sad as their passings were, my relationship with Sage has been shaped largely by our interactions while coping with the loss of our mutual friends. I initially knew Sage from a distance as an artist I revered, and now I know him as a friend who has experienced the same paradoxical struggle, albeit with far more career success to show for his efforts.

As my personal life began to settle, I was able to focus on the labor-intensive process of creating albums on which I’d be the primary if not sole voice. From my first SFR release “Live Long Enough To Learn” to my collaboration with fellow SFdigi-ite Aupheus “Cancel The Guillotine,” I embarked on a solo mission to lyrically explore in-depth material that didn’t lend itself to working with another MC.

Eventually, I grew weary of the solitary and solemn approach. Fondly recalling the collaborative ease and joy of the first installment, I began to feel the simmering urge to do another “With” album. The obvious move for the second installment was to feature MCs from the SFR roster.

Ready to get the ball rolling, I reached out to Scott Kuzner and asked if he was willing to work with me again. Unfortunately, but understandably, Scott’s personal and professional life didn’t leave him enough bandwidth to commit. Since Scott had not only provided all the beats but also mixed and mastered “With,” I considered shelving the idea until he was in a better position down the road.

No more than 12 hours after talking to Scott, I received an email from a friend named Joe who I hadn’t spoke to in over 20 years. I knew Joe as an MC who went by Speaks, and we spent one summer in the early ‘00s trooping to open mics in the DMV. I did the driving because Joe had suffered a broken leg, and while I’m not sure he ever gave me gas money (joke$, joke$,) we bonded during the rides and developed a friendship that was still strong all these years later. Joe had joined the US Air Force and lived abroad in several places, and somewhere in that time started making beats. Very, very good beats. 

Flash forward to said email from the newly named SpeaksBeats, which contained a handful of absolute bangers. SpeaksBeats and I have since joked about my initial response, which was a mix of genuine surprise about the beats’ quality and an eagerness to hear more with the intent of rocking over as many as possible. A few exchanges later, SpeaksBeats was on board to produce the entirety of “With SFR.”

I discussed the idea with Sage and Storm, and they were both immediately on board. I’d like to say we sent up a smoke signal in the shape of the SFR logo, then all of the MC’s met in an underground bunker full of esoteric books and healthy snacks… but we actually began sending a flurry of emails with demos attached and hope in our hearts. 

Artists are a finicky bunch, and being of a particularly finnicky nature myself, I had reservations about corralling several artists I’d either never actually met or had only met in passing. This brings me to two very important points as things relate to my role with SFR:

All of the artists are united by our respect for the work ethic, talent, and generosity of Sage. 
My strongest selling point as an artist is my standing among the indie rap industry as someone who pretty much everyone gets along with, and I make pretty damn good music to boot.

Slowly but surely, my reservations went up in smoke as each MC provided their verses relatively quickly and Speaks knocked out the mixing/mastering at a pace I’d never seen before. I’ve posted individual write-ups about each song and its corresponding artist on my Instagram page, and since you’ve already spent half your day reading this, I recommend taking a meditation break before heading over there. 

Much love to each MC for their verses and vocals, much love to Pat Jensen for the incredible artwork, much love to Speaks for the beats and mixing+mastering, much love to Sage Francis and Storm Davis for all they do at Strange Famous Records, and most importantly: thanks to you for rocking with us. Peace!

-Seez Mics